


Three Days In The Infirmary

by QuicheKolgate



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-17
Updated: 2017-03-17
Packaged: 2018-10-06 17:19:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10340331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuicheKolgate/pseuds/QuicheKolgate
Summary: The three days that Nico was 'required' to spend in the infirmary, per Will's request, were different than he suspected, in which Will didn't back down easily, and is equally as stubborn as Nico.





	1. The First Day

Nico

  He could feel the weight lifting off his chest as he walked away from Percy and Annabeth and back to Will. It didn't hit him that he had just confessed to having a crush on Percy until he was being led to an infirmary room by Will. Suddenly panic took hold of him and he nearly collapsed, if not for Will holding him steady.

  "Whoa there, Death Boy. You okay??" He helped him to sit on the cot, then pulled up a chair, sitting across from him. Nico tried to look annoyed by the nickname, but he was going through all the things he had just said to Percy a moment ago, so he probably looked terrified. "I'm fine, and don't call me Death Boy..!"

  Will chuckled and shook his head. "You are anything but fine. What's wrong?" Nico frowned. "Why do you care?" The look on Will's face was like Nico had just insulted him terribly. "What do you mean why would I care? Why would I not care?? Seriously, Nico! Why do you do that?" He barely had a chance to ask "Do what?" before Will was talking again. "You push people away, you- for some reason!- think no one cares about you! Well people do, Nico! We don't push you away, or try to avoid you, YOU push everyone away! You have it set in your mind that no one could care less!"

  Will took a breath and rubbed his hand over his face. "I just don't understand-"

  "No, you don't understand. You CAN'T understand why. When you're me, when you're a son of Hades... You're not exactly idolized, or thought of like you're something great. Not like if you were to have Zeus or Poseidon for a father. Or any other god or goddess, for that matter. And on top of that, I.. I'm..." Nico let out a groan of frustration and propped his elbows on his knees, covering his face with his hands. Will was silent, and for what seemed like forever, they sat there in silence, save for the sounds coming from other places in the infirmary.

  Finally, Will spoke, his voice soft. "You're right... I can't understand, but I want to. I want to be able to talk to you for hours and just learn everything you're willing to tell me. Believe it or not, I want to be your... friend...." There was hesitation at the end of his sentence. They were quiet again.

  Nico heard the sound of a chair scraping against the floor, and when he looked up, Will was standing.

  "Sorry-" Will cut him off. "No, don't apologize. I shouldn't have talked to you like that. I'm sorry." The blond gave him a weak smile, his eyes drifting to the marks along Nico's biceps, then the smile disappeared. "What in the name of the gods happened to your arms??" Nico frowned. He had forgotten about the marks Orion had left on him, but as he remembered, the pain slowly became noticeable. "Oh.. I uh, we were fighting Orion in San Juan, and-" Will held up his hand. "I don't want to hear anymore!" "But you just-" "How did I not notice that before?? Those cuts need to be properly cleaned, stitched, and bandaged." Will set to work, grabbing cotton balls and rubbing alcohol, and a bunch of other medical tools. "But I'm f-"

  "Don't even think about saying you're fine." He set the tools on a tray. "Take your shirt off." Nico felt his face go scarlet. "What??" The blond rolled his eyes. "I need to work on your cuts, and I can't have the shirt material in the way. Besides, it's mostly rags now." Nico took a mental deep breath and removed his shirt, his face burning. "There we go. Now this is gonna hurt, but some ambrosia should numb the pain a little." Will got to work, re stitching Nico's wounds.

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Nico

  A while later, Nico was re stitched and sore, despite the ambrosia Will had given him. The older boy was cleaning and putting his tools away.

  "Now all you need to do is rest." Nico wanted to protest, in fear of nightmares that would come if he slept. "Doctor's orders." He finished with the last of the tools and put them away. "I'll be in here for the night, so I'll check back in a little while, after working with some other patients." Nico hesitantly lied down, still wide awake, with no promises of sleep to come. Will saw the tension in the younger one and frowned. "Well you'll never get to sleep, being all tense like that.. Why won't you relax?"

  Before Nico could stop himself, he mumbled, "Nightmares." And regretted it instantly. Will pulled up his chair. "Don't try and make me talk about it." Nico warned. "Because I won't..." Will smiled, almost sadly. "I won't make you talk about anything. But I've had some patients with almost the same problem. Not as bad as you, though. I just learned music helps, so if you're okay with me singing..."

  Nico nodded almost too quickly after the words left Will's mouth, his stomach fluttering slightly. "Uh, yeah... I mean, I-I don't mind if you sing..." Nico wouldn't admit it, but he loved Will's voice. And getting to hear him sing....

  Will grabbed the guitar that had been leaning beside the bed- how did Nico not notice that?- and began strumming the cords, playing a soft tune. Nico fell asleep to the sound of Will's voice, accompanied by the guitar.


	2. The Second Day

Nico

  Nico awoke from a surprisingly dreamless sleep, too bright sunlight shining through a slit in the curtains, directly in his eyes.

  He groaned and rolled onto his other side, his back to the window, and pulled the thin blanket over his head.

  It was strange that he slept without any nightmares the night before. The soft harmonic notes of the guitar along with Will's voice had calmed his mind, Nico thought, and must have, by some healing magic of Apollo, blocked out all dreams, allowing him to sleep peacefully through the long night.

  He suddenly heard footsteps, becoming louder as they got closer to to the cot. "Morning Sunshine!" Nico groaned in response, keeping the blanket over his head.

  Will sighed. "C'mon, Death Boy. Get up. It's already noon." Nico made no attempt to move. Will sighed again and crossed his arms. "I'm gonna count to three, and when I get to three you better get up or I'll make you." Nico snorted. Make him?? He wouldn't dare try.

  "One...." Will started the countdown..

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Will

  Will crossed his arms impatiently, starting down at the lump in the cot. "One....." Nico didn't move.

  "Two....." Still no attempt at getting up from the shorter boy.

  "Three." Will yanked the blanket off Nico and lifted him up over his shoulder, despite his protests. The dark haired boy hit Will's back in a weak attempt to make him put him down. Will ignored this and proceeded to carry Nico outside.

  "Will!! Put. Me. Down. Now!!!" Nico twisted himself from Will's arms and landed on his feet with a _thump._ Nico glared menacingly up at Will, but he didn't flinch or look away like other _smarter_ people would. No, Will kept eye contact, unblinking. It lasted a minuet or two, then Nico blinked, probably in surprise of Will's fearlessness, crossed his arms and glared, annoyed. "What happened to owing you three days?"

  "Oh, you still do, but i'm not going to have you shrivel up laying in bed three days straight. You need sunshine and decent exercise, meaning a walk." Nico huffed. "A _walk_??" Will grinned a bright smile. "You heard me, Sunshine. A walk. Now let's get started."

  Will began to walk towards the dining pavilion, Nico trudging behind him. "What makes you think I won't just escape, run or shadow travel away?" Will turned and faced the paler boy, grinning. "You won't! I know you won't! And just in case you were wondering, you missed breakfast, so we're going to get you lunch. And _yes_ , you _will_ eat. I'm not gonna make you eat all of it but at least some. We need to get you on a healthy diet again." Will turned back forward, hearing a grumpy mumble from Nico, but ignored it.

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Nico

  After walking to the pavilion and back around to the infirmary, Nico once again sat on his cot, a plate of food before him. He picked at the food with little appetite as Will made his rounds to the rest of the patients. When he returned, Nico glanced up, only to see a disappointed look on Will's face.

  "Are you not hungry at all?" Will questioned him. Nico shrugged in response, continuing to pick at the food. "C'mon, Nico.. Even if you're not, you really should eat at least a _little_ something." Nico grunted in response, keeping his gaze on his food.

  He heard Will sigh in defeat. "I'm just trying to help you, Nico. But i'm not gonna force you to eat." Nico didn't look up as the sound of foot steps retreated, until he heard them no more. He let out a deep sigh and ate small bits of food that he had previously picked off, still not hungry.

  When Will came beck to Nico's cot, Nico had set the plate of slightly nibbled food on the table beside him, and lay facing the window, with his back to Will. He heard footsteps make their way over to him, then leave. Soon the footsteps returned, belonging to Will.

  There was the sound of chair legs scraping against the floor closer to Nico's cot. Silence. Soft guitar strings followed. Will didn't sing this time, but only hummed. It was still equally as soothing as the night before, and Nico soon drifted, once again, to a peaceful, dreamless sleep.


	3. The Third Day

Nico

  Nico awoke on the third day fairly early. The morning light was dim and gray-ish, the sun having barely risen from behind the clouds. He had to admit, he was feeling better, more refreshed than he's felt in a while. He listened for any sound. It was quiet, save for sheets shifting, or an occasional groan or cough.

  He thought about getting up and leaving back to his cabin, but decided against it. He promised Will three days, and he'd give him that. Three full days. At this point, Nico wasn't so sure he even wanted to go back to his cabin. He would be alone, again. Hazel had left before Nico entered the infirmary, so he didn't even have her there. Why was he suddenly so worried about being alone now? He hadn't cared before.

  After Bianca's death, and up until him, Reyna and Hedge traveled to get the statue to the camp, he had been completely alone, except for the dead, and he hadn't cared. So why now? He made it through Tartarus alone, but he didn't want to be alone in his cabin with his own thoughts- kind of like he was now, hidden behind a curtain, alone in the small corner of the infirmary, no one to distract him from his own thoughts.

  Nico pulled the sheet closer around himself and closed his eyes, hoping to fall back into his dreamless sleep, but his mind didn't allow him that pleasure. The second he closed his eyes, sleep took over and flashes of Tartarus came flooding back, too quick to distinguish one horrible memory from another.

  He turned over onto his back and opened his eyes wide, gasping for air that was suddenly not there. His body refused to cooperate as he tried to move, everything was numb. All Nico could move was his eyes. He looked towards the window and saw that the time hadn't changed, it was still dim outside. He looked around the small area, and saw dark figures just outside his field of vision. He tried closing his eyes, but he couldn't.

  The dark figures closed in, becoming clearer; Monsters he encountered in Tartarus, Misery telling him he was perfect, filled with so much sorrow and misery, the giants that captured him, Cupid, _you are a coward, afraid of yourself and your feelings_ , Bryce Lawrence sinking into the ground, clawing at the floor in front of him, _I_ _killed him,_ the seven briefly, their looks of fear and discomfort when he was around, _no one wants me,_ Octavian launching himself into the sky flashed across his vision, _I_ _let him kill himself_. They got closer, more morbid, and Nico couldn't move, couldn't shout for help-

  A new figure emerged from the others, he couldn't make out who or what it was. When they stepped closer, he saw Will. Panic was taking over him, but he couldn't do much. Nico was ready for 'Will' to start confirming all his fears, like all the other monsters saw, but he didn't.

  He acted as if Nico were asleep, checking the table next to the bed and adjusting the sheet- was it really Will?? He had to get his attention, he needed to wake up. Nico tried to ignore the figures getting closer to him as Will got further away, and tried to make a sound. His voice wasn't working, he barely managed a cough, his breathing was getting harder.

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Will

  He had only been checking up on Nico, it was too early to wake him yet. He drew the blinds closer, to minimize the soft dawn light, made sure all the tools on the table were in order; bandages, disinfectants, and water bottles. He glanced at Nico who lay next to him, the sheet awkwardly bunched and tangled. Will frowned and gently adjusted the sheet before turning to leave.

  Suddenly, he heard a strangled cough. Will turned back to the boy- He wasn't moving, but his breathing was getting heavier. "Nico?" Will rushed back to Nico's side and shook him gently. "Nico, wake up..." His eyes shut, and when they opened again, Nico sat up fast, not giving Will enough time to move away, and ended up banging their heads together.

  "Gah-!" Will gasped and stumbled back, holding his head. Nico groaned and fell back, holding his head as well. "The Hades, Solace??" Nico mumbled.

  Will huffed and looked down at the scrawny boy. "You've got room to ask! What happened? Were you in a sleep paralysis?"

  Nico frowned, then glared, then turned away from him. "I don't know, but, thank you... You can um, leave now." Will shook his head, and instead of talking his usual seat on the stool next to the cot, sat at the foot of the cot. "I'm not leaving."

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Nico

    Will sat at the foot of Nico's cot. He groaned, this guy was as stubborn as Nico was. "Will, seriously, go away." He was talking into the pillow, so it came out muffled. He didn't feel the weight lift, meaning Will was still there.

  "Seriously, I don't need you to stay here. I- I'm fine. Go." Nico tried yanking the blanket up to hide under it, but it didn't budge. He groaned again, sitting up and glaring at Will, who looked up from his hands that rest in his lap, and giving Nico a look like, _really?_

   "Fine. If you don't want to leave, I will." Nico huffed and got up from the bed. As he passed Will, the blond boy grabbed his wrist gently. "Nico, wait, please." Nico glared up at him. "What? What do you want from me?? I don't need you watching over me like I'm a child-!"

  Will shook his head, cutting Nico off mid sentence. "I don't- I didn't mean to make you feel this way. I just, I want you to _talk to me_ , Nico! You're keeping things in, it's building up, it isn't healthy-"

    "You wouldn't understand even if I-" Will groaned in frustration, and now he was the one glaring, his grip on Nico's wrist getting tighter. Nico winced, a little shocked at the sudden ager from the boy who's always seemingly calm in most situations.

  "But I _want_ to understand! I want to know what's keeping you up at night, what causes your nightmares, why you're _pushing me away!_  No, I won't understand personally what Tartarus was like, I won't fully comprehend the _literal_ hell you went through, but you _need_ to talk to someone about it! And- And I want to be that someone. I want to help you, Nico, though you say you don't need me to. I want to listen, I want to ease the pain you're carrying. I know I'll never be able to completely _understand_ , but I can listen."

  Nico stood still, staring wide eyed up at Will, who had long since loosened his grip on the smaller boy's wrist and moved his hand down to Nico's, holding it gently. "Please, Nico, let me help you." Nico's mouth opened to respond, but his emotions worked faster than his words, and his eyes welled up with tears as he buried his face in Will's shirt, letting the tears silently flow, and letting himself be held.

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Will

  As he held Nico, he felt a familiar warmth spread through his chest, the same warmth he felt when he first saw Nico, so long ago. He held the boy for a long time, until the sun fully rose, and just let him cry. He could feel the depression and guilt flowing from Nico in waves, in every silent sob.

  As he calmed, he stood straight and wiped away the wet streaks from his cheeks. Before he could speak, Will held up a hand and smiled in reassurance, "I won't say anything to anyone. Patient confidentiality and all."

  Nico's face broke into a faint smile. "Thank you," he whispered, so low Will almost didn't catch it. Will nodded and his expression became one of seriousness. "I'm always here for you, Nico. Whenever you need someone, I'm here." Nico nodded in understanding.

  "Now, would you like to accompany me to breakfast? It's a beautiful morning, and you need the sunlight and walking." Will gave him a bright smile, which Nico _almost_ returned, but wasn't wholehearted, the glassy look of his eyes giving away that he was still _so_ broken, and needed more time to be healed, which Will was willing to give all the time he could ever give to fix him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this last chapter was significantly longer than the other two. Sorry for the long wait! It's not exactly a fluffy romantic ending, but I mean, it's only been three days. The romance is there if you squint and turn your head slightly to the left.


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